Minneapolis, MN vs Knoxville, TN
Moving from Minneapolis to Knoxville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($393,774 → $367,158 median home) and taxes.
Minneapolis vs Knoxville at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Minneapolis, MN, you'd need about $88,430 in Knoxville, TN (−$11,570).
Livability — Minneapolis, MN: 54 · Knoxville, TN: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,285 sqft in Minneapolis vs 2,723 sqft in Knoxville ($219 vs $184 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Minneapolis, MN | Knoxville, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,652 | $21,144 | +$492 |
| Groceries | $5,227 | $4,715 | −$512 |
| Transportation | $3,375 | $3,130 | −$245 |
| Utilities | $1,776 | $1,608 | −$168 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $16,345 | $4,576 | −$11,769 |
| Total | $49,575 | $37,372 | −$12,203 |
Side by side
| Metric | Minneapolis, MN | Knoxville, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.3 | 92.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.90% | 4.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 2.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.93 | $5.25 |
| Median home price | $393,774 | $367,158 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Price per square foot | $219 | $184 |
| Median rent | $1,721 | $1,762 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.1% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.10% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.85% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.10% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.58% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.4 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 4 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |